Variable intraluminal ultrasound transmit pulse generation and control devices, systems, and methods

ABSTRACT

Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. In one embodiment, an intraluminal ultrasound imaging system includes a patient interface module (PIM) in communication with an intraluminal imaging device comprising an ultrasound imaging component, the PIM comprising a processing component configured to detect information associated with the intraluminal imaging device; and determine a waveform characteristic for ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging component based on the detected information; and a trigger signal generation component in communication with the processing component and configured to generate a trigger signal based on the determined waveform characteristic to control the ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging component.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation of U.S. Application No. 16/354,116,filed Mar. 14, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,517.291, which claims priorityto and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/643,453, filedMar. 15, 2018, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to intraluminal imagingdevices, in particular, to providing a patient interface module (PIM)that can control and vary intraluminal ultrasound transmit pulses inreal time. For example, a PIM can be used with different types ofintraluminal ultrasound imaging devices for different clinical imagingprocedures. The PIM can automatically detect device informationassociated with an attached intraluminal ultrasound device and generatetrigger signals to control ultrasound wave emissions at the intraluminalimaging device based on the device information.

BACKGROUND

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging is widely used in interventionalcardiology as a diagnostic tool for assessing a diseased vessel, such asan artery, within the human body to determine the need for treatment, toguide the intervention, and/or to assess its effectiveness. An IVUSdevice including one or more ultrasound transducers is passed into thevessel and guided to the area to be imaged. The transducers emitultrasonic energy in order to create an image of the vessel of interest.Ultrasonic waves are partially reflected by discontinuities arising fromtissue structures (such as the various layers of the vessel wall), redblood cells, and other features of interest. Echoes from the reflectedwaves are received by the transducer and passed along to an IVUS imagingsystem. The imaging system processes the received ultrasound echoes toproduce a cross-sectional image of the vessel where the device isplaced. IVUS imaging can provide detailed and accurate measurements oflumen and vessel sizes, plaque areas and volumes, and location of keyanatomical landmarks. IVUS imaging allows physicians to evaluate thesize of a lesion, select a treatment device (e.g., a stent) based on theevaluated lesion size, and subsequently evaluate the treatment success.

There are two types of IVUS catheters commonly in use today: rotationaland solid-state. For a typical rotational IVUS catheter, a singleultrasound transducer element is located at the tip of a flexibledriveshaft that spins inside a plastic sheath inserted into the vesselof interest. The transducer element is oriented such that the ultrasoundbeam propagates generally perpendicular to the axis of the device. Thefluid-filled sheath protects the vessel tissue from the spinningtransducer and driveshaft while permitting ultrasound signals topropagate from the transducer into the tissue and back. As thedriveshaft rotates, the transducer is periodically excited with a highvoltage pulse to emit a short burst of ultrasound. The same transducerthen listens for the returning echoes reflected from various tissuestructures. The IVUS imaging system assembles a two dimensional displayof the vessel cross-section from a sequence of pulse/acquisition cyclesoccurring during a single revolution of the transducer.

Solid-state IVUS catheters carry an ultrasound imaging assembly thatincludes an array of ultrasound transducers distributed around itscircumference along with one or more integrated circuit controller chipsmounted adjacent to the transducer array. The solid-state IVUS cathetersare also referred to as phased array IVUS transducers or phased arrayIVUS devices. The controllers select individual transducer elements (orgroups of elements) for transmitting an ultrasound pulse and forreceiving the ultrasound echo signal. By stepping through a sequence oftransmit-receive pairs, the solid-state IVUS system can synthesize theeffect of a mechanically scanned ultrasound transducer but withoutmoving parts (hence the solid-state designation). Since there is norotating mechanical element, the transducer array can be placed indirect contact with the blood and vessel tissue with minimal risk ofvessel trauma.

Different clinical applications may require different types of IVUScatheters or different imaging modes. In other instances, differenttypes of IVUS catheters or different imaging modes may be requiredduring a clinical procedure. The different types of IVUS cathetersand/or the different imaging modes may provide different imaginginformation through emitting ultrasound waves with different waveformcharacteristics. For example, different IVUS catheters may provideultrasound wave emissions at different center frequencies. Differentimaging modes (e.g., including imaging resolution, B-mode imaging,pulse-Doppler, continuous Doppler) may be used depending on the anatomyof interest and the required diagnostic information. The emissions ofthe ultrasound waves (e.g., ultrasound transmit pulses) at thetransducers are driven by trigger signals. To generate ultrasound waveswith different waveform characteristics, trigger signals with differentwaveform characteristics may be used.

In an IVUS imaging system, an ultrasound transmit pulse configuration istypically predetermined. Thus, the generation of the trigger signals istypically preconfigured for the system. As such, changes to theultrasound transmit pulse configuration may require hardware and/orsystem changes.

SUMMARY

While existing IVUS imaging system have proved useful, there remains aneed for improved systems and techniques for real-time systemreconfigurations. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a PIMthat includes a detection component, a trigger signal generationcomponent, and a controller. The detection component can detect anattachment of an IVUS catheter to the PIM. The IVUS catheter can includeultrasound transducers. The detection component can coordinate with thecontroller to identify device information (e.g., a serial number, acatheter type, an ultrasound attribute and/or a physiological sensingmodality) associated with the IVUS catheter. The controller can obtainultrasound waveform parameters specific to the IVUS catheter based onthe identified device information. The controller can configure thetrigger signal generation component to generate trigger signals fordriving ultrasound wave emissions at the transducers based on theultrasound waveform parameters. The controller can reconfigure thetrigger signal generation component in real time based on an input froma user to change the ultrasound emission waveform characteristics at thetransducers.

In one embodiment, an intraluminal ultrasound imaging system includes apatient interface module (PIM) in communication with an intraluminalimaging device comprising an ultrasound imaging component, the PIMcomprising a processing component configured to detect informationassociated with the intraluminal imaging device; and determine awaveform characteristic for ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasoundimaging component based on the detected information; and a triggersignal generation component in communication with the processingcomponent and configured to generate a trigger signal based on thedetermined waveform characteristic to control the ultrasound waveemissions at the ultrasound imaging component.

In some embodiments, the processing component is further configured todetermine the waveform characteristic by determining at least one of anumber of waveform pulses for the trigger signal, a periodicity of thewaveform pulses, a duty cycle of the waveform pulses, a polarity of thewaveform pulses, or an amplitude of the waveform pulses based on thedetected information. In some embodiments, the PIM further comprises afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) including the processing componentand the trigger signal generation component. In some embodiments, theFPGA further includes a plurality of registers, wherein the processingcomponent is further configured to load values into the registers basedon the determined at least one of a number of waveform pulses for thetrigger signal, a periodicity of the waveform pulses, a duty cycle ofthe waveform pulses, a polarity of the waveform pulses, or an amplitudeof the waveform pulses, and wherein the trigger signal generationcomponent is further configured to generate the trigger signal based onthe values in the registers. In some embodiments, wherein the ultrasoundimaging component comprises an array of transducer elements, wherein thePIM further comprises a sequencing component in communication with thetrigger signal generation component and configured to configure one ormore timing sequences for one or more of the transducer elements in thearray to produce the ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imagingcomponent. In some embodiments, the PIM further comprises a triggersignal application component configured to apply the trigger signal tothe ultrasound imaging component based on the one or more timingsequences. In some embodiments, the PIM further comprises an interfacecoupled to the intraluminal imaging device; and a detection componentcoupled to the interface and the processing component, the detectioncomponent configured to detect an attachment of the intraluminal imagingdevice to the interface, and wherein the processing component is furtherconfigured to detect the information by reading the information from theintraluminal imaging device upon the detection. In some embodiments, thePIM is further in communication with a host system, and wherein theprocessing component is further configured to request a configurationfor the intraluminal imaging device from the host system based on thedetected information; receive the configuration from the host system inresponse to the request; and determine the waveform characteristic forthe ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging component basedon the received configuration. In some embodiments, the PIM furthercomprises a memory configured to store a plurality of configurationsassociated with a plurality of different ultrasound imaging componentscomprising a plurality of different ultrasound attributes, wherein theprocessing component is further configured to select a configurationfrom the plurality of configurations based on the detected informationassociated the ultrasound imaging component; and determine the waveformcharacteristic for the ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasoundimaging component based on the selected configuration. In someembodiments, the PIM is further in communication with a user interface,wherein the processing component is further configured to receive arequest from the user interface to modify a parameter associated withthe ultrasound imaging component while the ultrasound imaging componentis performing an imaging procedure; and determine an updated waveformcharacteristic for the ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasoundimaging component based on the modified parameter, and wherein thetrigger signal generation component is further configured to generate anupdated trigger signal based on the updated waveform characteristic; andapply the updated trigger signal to the ultrasound imaging componentduring the imaging procedure. In some embodiments, the modifiedparameter is associated with an imaging resolution, an imagingfield-of-view, a B-mode imaging, and a Doppler-mode imaging. In someembodiments, wherein the information further includes at least one of adevice type of the intraluminal imaging device, a serial number of theintraluminal imaging device, and one or more operational parameters ofthe intraluminal imaging device. In some embodiments, the intraluminalimaging device is an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheter.

In one embodiment, a method of medical sensing includes detecting, by apatient interface module (PIM), information associated with anintraluminal imaging device in communication with the PIM, theintraluminal imaging device including an ultrasound imaging component;determining, by a processing component of the PIM, a waveformcharacteristic for ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imagingcomponent based on the detected information; generating, by a triggersignal generation component of the PIM, a trigger signal based on thedetermined waveform characteristic to control the ultrasound waveemissions at the ultrasound imaging component; and applying, by thetrigger signal generation component, the trigger signal to theultrasound imaging component.

In some embodiments, the determining includes determining at least oneof a number of waveform pulses for the trigger signal, a periodicity ofthe waveform pulses, a duty cycle of the waveform pulses, a polarity ofthe pulses, or an amplitude of the waveform pulses based on the detectedinformation. In some embodiments, the method further comprisesconfiguring, by a sequencing component of the PIM, one or more timingsequences for one or more of transducer elements in a transducer arrayof the ultrasound imaging component to produce the ultrasound waveemissions at the ultrasound imaging component. In some embodiments, themethod further comprises detecting, by a detection component of the PIM,an attachment of the intraluminal imaging device to the PIM, wherein thedetecting includes reading the information from the intraluminal imagingdevice upon the detection. In some embodiments, the method furthercomprises requesting a configuration for the intraluminal imaging devicefrom a host system based on the detected information; and receiving theconfiguration from the host system in response to the request, whereinthe determining includes determining the waveform characteristic for theultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging component based onthe received configuration. In some embodiments, the method furthercomprises storing, at a memory of the PIM, a plurality of configurationsassociated with a plurality of different ultrasound imaging componentscomprising a plurality of different ultrasound attributes; and selectinga configuration from the plurality of configurations based on thedetected information associated with the intraluminal imaging device,wherein the determining includes determining the waveform characteristicfor the ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging componentbased on the selected configuration. In some embodiments, the methodfurther comprises receiving a request to modify a parameter associatedwith the waveform characteristic of the ultrasound wave emissions whilethe ultrasound imaging component is performing an imaging procedure;determining an updated waveform characteristic for the ultrasound waveemissions at the ultrasound imaging component based on the modifiedparameter; generating an updated trigger signal based on the updatedwaveform characteristic; and applying the updated trigger signal to theultrasound imaging component during the imaging procedure.

Additional aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosurewill become apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an intraluminal ultrasound imagingsystem, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration for anintraluminal ultrasound imaging system, according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ultrasound imagingconfiguration, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration for anintraluminal ultrasound imaging system, according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration for anintraluminal ultrasound imaging system, according to aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a field-programmable gatearray (FPGA) implementation for generation and control of variableultrasound transmit pulses, according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a trigger signal for controllingultrasound wave emissions, according to aspects of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method of generating and controllingultrasound transmit pulses, according to aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thepresent disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used todescribe the same. It is nevertheless understood that no limitation tothe scope of the disclosure is intended. Any alterations and furthermodifications to the described devices, systems, and methods, and anyfurther application of the principles of the present disclosure arefully contemplated and included within the present disclosure as wouldnormally occur to one skilled in the art to which the disclosurerelates. In particular, it is fully contemplated that the features,components, and/or steps described with respect to one embodiment may becombined with the features, components, and/or steps described withrespect to other embodiments of the present disclosure. For the sake ofbrevity, however, the numerous iterations of these combinations will notbe described separately.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an intraluminal ultrasound imagingsystem 100, according to aspects of the present disclosure. The system100 may include an intraluminal imaging device 102, a patient interfacemodule (PIM) 104, a host system 106, and a display 108. The intraluminalimaging device 102 may be a catheter, a guide wire, or a guide catheter.The intraluminal imaging device 102 can be referred to as aninterventional device and/or a diagnostic device. In some instances, theintraluminal imaging device 102 can be a therapeutic device. The hostsystem 106 may be a console, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, or a mobiledevice. The display 108 may be a monitor. In some embodiments, thedisplay 108 may be an integrated component of the host system 106.

The intraluminal imaging device 102 may include a flexible elongatemember sized and shaped for insertion into the vasculature of a patient.The flexible elongate member may include a distal portion 131 and aproximal portion 132. The intraluminal imaging device 102 may include animaging component 110 mounted at the distal portion 131 near a distalend 133 of the intraluminal imaging device 102. The intraluminal imagingdevice 102 may be inserted into a body lumen or vessel 120 of thepatient. For example, the intraluminal imaging device 102 can beinserted into a patient’s vessel 120 to capture images of the structureof the vessel 120, measure the diameter and/or length of the vessel 120to guide stent selection, and/or measure blood flow in the vessel 120.The vessel 120 may be any artery or vein within a vascular system of apatient, including cardiac vasculature, peripheral vasculature, neuralvasculature, renal vasculature, and/or any other suitable anatomy/lumeninside the body. In some embodiments, the vessel 120 may be a venousvessel, a pulmonary vessel, a coronary vessel, or a peripheral vessel.For example, the device 102 may be used to examine any number ofanatomical locations and tissue types, including without limitation,organs including the liver, heart, kidneys, gall bladder, pancreas,lungs, esophagus; ducts; intestines; nervous system structures includingthe brain, dural sac, spinal cord and peripheral nerves; the urinarytract; as well as valves within vasculature or the heart, chambers orother parts of the heart, and/or other systems of the body. In additionto natural structures, the device 102 may be used to examine man-madestructures such as, but without limitation, heart valves, stents,shunts, filters and other devices.

In an embodiment, the imaging component 110 may include ultrasoundtransducers configured to emit ultrasonic energy towards the vessel 120.The emission of the ultrasonic energy may be in the form of pulses. Theultrasonic energy is reflected by tissue structures and/or blood flowsin the vessel 120 surrounding the imaging component 110. The reflectedultrasound echo signals are received by the ultrasound transducers inthe imaging component 110. In some instances, the imaging component 110may be configured for brightness-mode (B-mode) imaging to capture imagesof vessel structures or to measure vessel diameters and lengths forstent selection. In some other instances, the imaging component 110 maybe configured for Doppler color flow imaging to provide blood flowmeasurements. In yet some other instances, the imaging component 110 maybe configured to operate in a dual-mode to provide both B-mode imagingdata and Doppler flow measurements.

In some embodiments, the ultrasound transducers in the imaging componentare phased-array transducers, which may be configured to emit ultrasoundenergy at a frequency of about 10 megahertz (MHz) to about 20 MHz. Insome other embodiments, the imaging component 110 may be alternativelyconfigured to include a rotational transducer to provide similarfunctionalities. The PIM 104 transfers the received echo signals to thehost system 106 where the ultrasound image is reconstructed anddisplayed on the display 108. For example, the strengths or theamplitudes of the echo responses may be converted to brightness orintensity levels for gray-scale image display.

The host system 106 can include a processor and a memory. The hostsystem 106 can be operable to facilitate the features of the system 100described herein. For example, the processor can execute computerreadable instructions stored on the non-transitory tangible computerreadable medium.

The PIM 104 facilitates communication of signals between the host system106 and the intraluminal imaging device 102 to control the operation ofthe imaging component 110. This includes generating control signals toconfigure the imaging component 110, triggering transmitter circuits tocause the imaging component 110 to emit ultrasound waves, andtransferring echo signals captured by the imaging component 110 to thehost system 106. With regard to the echo signals, the PIM 104 forwardsthe received signals and, in some embodiments, performs preliminarysignal processing prior to transmitting the signals to the host 106. Inexamples of such embodiments, the PIM 104 performs amplification,filtering, and/or aggregating of the data. In an embodiment, the PIM 104also supplies high- and low-voltage direct current (DC) power to supportoperation of the circuitry within the imaging component 110. Mechanismsfor triggering the transmitter circuits are described in greater detailherein.

In an embodiment, the host system 106 receives the echo data from theimaging component 110 and/or transmits controls to the imaging component110 by way of the PIM 104. The host system 106 processes the echo datato reconstruct an image of the tissue structures in the vessel 120surrounding imaging component 110. The host system 106 outputs imagedata such that an image of the vessel 120, such as a cross-sectionalimage of the vessel 120, is displayed on the display 108.

In some embodiments, the intraluminal imaging device 102 includes somefeatures similar to traditional solid-state IVUS catheters, such as theEagleEye® Platinum, Eagle Eye® Platinum ST, Eagle Eye® Gold, andVisions® PV catheters available from Volcano Corporation and thosedisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,846,101 hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety. For example, the intraluminal imaging device 102 furtherincludes an electrical cable 112 extending along the longitudinal bodyof the intraluminal imaging device 102. The cable 112 is a transmissionline bundle including a plurality of conductors, including one, two,three, four, five, six, seven, or more conductors. It is understood thatany suitable gauge wire can be used for the conductors. In anembodiment, the cable 112 can include a four-conductor transmission linearrangement with, e.g., 41 American wire gauge (AWG) wires. In anembodiment, the cable 112 can include a seven-conductor transmissionline arrangement utilizing, e.g., 44 AWG wires. In some embodiments, 43AWG wires can be used. In some other embodiments, the intraluminalimaging device 102 includes some features similar to traditionalrotational IVUS catheters, such as the Revolution® catheter availablefrom Volcano Corporation and those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,601,082and 6,381,350, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. In some embodiments, the intraluminal imaging device 102includes components or features similar or identical to those disclosedin U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,917,097, 5,368,037, 5,453,575, 5,603,327, 5,779,644,5,857,974, 5,876,344, 5,921,931, 5,938,615, 6,049,958, 6,0854,109,6,123,673, 6,165,128, 6,283,920, 6,309,339; 6,033,357, 6,457,365,6,712,767, 6,725,081, 6,767,327, 6,776,763, 6,779,257, 6,7854,157,6,899,682, 6,962,567, 6,976,965, 7,097,620, 7,226,417, 7,641,4854,7,676,910, 7,711,413, and 7,736,317, each of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

The cable 112 terminates in a PIM connector 114 at a proximal end of theintraluminal imaging device 102. The PIM connector 114 electricallycouples the cable 112 to the PIM 104 and physically couples theintraluminal imaging device 102 to the PIM 104. In an embodiment, theintraluminal imaging device 102 further includes a guide wire exit port116 disposed near a junction 130 at which the distal portion 131 iscoupled to the proximal portion 132. Accordingly, in some instances theintraluminal imaging device 102 is a rapid-exchange catheter. The guidewire exit port 116 allows a guide wire 118 to be inserted towards thedistal end 133 in order to direct the intraluminal imaging device 102through the vessel 120.

Different clinical or imaging applications may require the use ofdifferent types of intraluminal imaging devices 102, which may havedifferent dimensions and/or different imaging capabilities. For example,imaging of peripheral vessels, imaging of coronary vessels, measurementsof blood flow, and evaluations of vascular morphology in blood vesselsmay each require a particular type of intraluminal imaging device 102.

In addition, different imaging modes may be required to obtain differenttype of diagnostic information (e.g., B-mode data and color Doppler flowdata). Different ultrasound center frequencies may be used to compromisesignal penetration depths and image resolution. For example, the imagingcomponent 110 may be configured to emit ultrasound waves at a highercenter frequency to provide a higher imaging resolution, trading offpenetration depth. Conversely, the imaging component 110 may beconfigured to emit ultrasound waves at a lower center frequency toprovide a deeper penetration, trading off imaging resolution.

Further, different ultrasound pulse durations may be used. For example,the imaging component 110 may be configured to emit ultrasound pulseswith a shorter duration, but at a higher signal energy level. Forexample, higher-energy ultrasound waves can be used during color flowimaging to provide a better view of blood vessel boundaries.Alternatively, higher-energy ultrasound waves can be used to provide alarger field-of-view during peripheral imaging due to the largerperipheral vessel sizes, for example, when capturing an image of anaorta artery during abdominal imaging or an iliac artery during limbimaging.

Thus, different imaging results or diagnostic information may beachieved with different ultrasound waveform shapes or waveformparameters, such as center frequency, a bandwidth, amplitude, pulseduration, duty cycle, and/or the number of pulses or cycles. In anembodiment, the PIM 104 may provide variable controls of trigger signalssuch that ultrasound wave emissions at the intraluminal imaging device102 may dynamically adapt to the intraluminal imaging device 102 underuse, the desired clinical application, and/or imaging parametermodifications during a clinical procedure, as described in greaterdetail herein.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration 200for the intraluminal ultrasound imaging system 100, according to aspectsof the present disclosure. FIG. 2 provides a more detailed view of theinternal components of the PIM 104 and interactions among the PIM 104,the host 106, and the intraluminal imaging device 102 in communicationwith the PIM 104. At a high level, upon an attachment of theintraluminal imaging device 102 to the PIM 104. The PIM 104 can detectand identify device information 212 associated with an intraluminalimaging device 102. The PIM 104 can request a parameter configuration230 (e.g., parameters for a desired ultrasound waveform) specific to theattached intraluminal imaging device 102 from the host 106 based on theidentified device information 212. The PIM 104 can generate triggersignals 228 based on the received parameter configuration 230. Thetrigger signals 228 can trigger or drive the imaging component 110 ofthe attached intraluminal imaging device 102 to emit ultrasound waveswith the desired waveform. The trigger signals 228 may be electricalsignals. In some instances, the trigger signals 228 may be high-voltagesignals. As shown, the PIM 104 includes a device interface 202, atrigger signal generation component 220, a detection component 222, asequencer 224, a controller 226, and a host interface 204.

The device interface 202 may include a common intraluminal imagingdevice interface connector suitable for coupling with various differentintraluminal imaging devices 102. The intraluminal imaging devices areshown as 102A, 102B, and 102C. As an example, the intraluminal imagingdevice 102A may be a rotational IVUS catheter including an imagingcomponent 110A with a single ultrasound transducer element. Theintraluminal imaging device 102B may be a solid-state IVUS catheter, forexample, suitable for coronary imaging. The intraluminal imaging device102C may include an imaging component 110C with phased-array ultrasoundtransducers. The intraluminal imaging device 102C may be anothersolid-state IVUS catheter, for example, suitable for peripheral imaging.The intraluminal imaging device 102C may include an imaging component110C with phased-array ultrasound transducers.

The different intraluminal imaging devices 102A, 102B, and 102C may havedifferent dimensions, different imaging capabilities (e.g., ultrasoundcenter frequencies), and/or different sets of control parameters. Theimaging components 110A, 110B, and 110C may require different triggersignals for ultrasound wave emissions. For example, the imagingcomponents 110A, 110B, and 110C may be designed to emit ultrasound waveswith different center frequencies. Each intraluminal imaging device 102may include a memory 210. The memory 210 may be a non-volatile memory,such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),configured to store device information, such as a serial number, adevice identification number, a catheter type, and other operationalparameters (e.g., ultrasound attributes and/or a physiological sensingmodality) related to a corresponding ultrasound imaging component 110.

The host interface 204 may include hardware components and/or softwarecomponents configured to communicate with the host 106 via a link 208.In some instances, the communication link 208 may be a wired connection,such as an Ethernet link, a universal serial bus (USB) link, or anysuitable wired communication link. In other instances, the link 208 maybe a wireless link, such as an Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 (WiFi) link, a Bluetooth link, a Zigbee link, oran ultra-wideband (UWB) link.

The detection component 222 is coupled to the device interface 202 andthe controller 226. The detection component 222 may include logicsconfigured to detect an attachment of an intraluminal imaging device 102and notify the controller 226 of the detection. As an example, a user ora clinician may select the intraluminal imaging device 102C for aparticular clinical application and connect the intraluminal imagingdevice 102C to the device interface 202 at the PIM 104 as shown by thesolid link 206. The detection component 222 may notified the controller226 of the detected attachment.

The controller 226 is coupled to the trigger signal generation component220, the sequencer 224, and the host interface 204. The controller 226may include hardware components and/or software components. Thecontroller 226 is configured to receive a device detection or attachmentnotification from the detection component 222 and read the deviceinformation 212 from the attached intraluminal imaging device 102 (e.g.,from the memory 210 of the intraluminal imaging device 102C). Thecontroller 226 may request a parameter configuration 230 from the host106 based on the identified device information 212. The parameterconfiguration 230 may include parameters for controlling and/orconfiguring the attached intraluminal imaging device 102. For example,when the controller 226 identifies that the intraluminal imaging device102A is in communication with the PIM 104, the controller 226 mayrequest the parameter configuration 230A from the host 106.Alternatively, when the controller 226 identifies that the intraluminalimaging device 102B is in communication with the PIM 104, the controller226 may request the parameter configuration 230B from the host 106. Yetalternatively, when the controller 226 identifies that the intraluminalimaging device 102C is in communication with the PIM 104, the controller226 may request the parameter configuration 230C from the host 106.

Each of the parameter configurations 230A, 230B, and 230C may includeultrasound waveform parameters for a corresponding intraluminal imagingdevice 102. Examples of ultrasound waveform parameters may include oneor more operating ultrasound center frequencies, an ultrasound signalbandwidth, an ultrasound pulse duration, a number of signal zones in apulse, a pulse amplitude, a pulse polarity, a pulse duty cycle, a numberof pulses, or any other suitable parameters that describe a waveformshape or a waveform characteristic. The controller 226 may configure thetrigger signal generation component 220 based on the received parameterconfiguration 230. In some embodiments, the controller 226 may determineadditional waveform parameters based on the received parameterconfiguration 230 and further configure the trigger signal generationcomponent 220 based on the determined waveform parameters.

The trigger signal generation component 220 is coupled to the deviceinterface 202 and in communication with the attached intraluminalimaging device 102 (e.g., the intraluminal imaging device 102C). Thetrigger signal generation component 220 may include software componentsand/or hardware components (e.g., logics and circuitry) configured togenerate a trigger signal 228 according to the configuration applied bythe controller 226. The trigger signal 228 is applied to the imagingcomponent 110 (e.g., the imaging component 110C) of the attachedintraluminal imaging device 102. The trigger signal 228 may initiate ortrigger the imaging component 110 to emit ultrasound waves.

The sequencer 224 is coupled to the trigger signal generation component220. The sequencer 224 may include software components and/or hardwarecomponents configured to determine a sequence order and timing forultrasound transducer elements (e.g., at the imaging component 110C) totransmit and/or receive, for example, to provide synthetic apertureultrasound imaging, as described in greater detail herein.

As an example, when the intraluminal imaging device 102A is connected tothe PIM 104, the controller 226 can automatically identify that theintraluminal imaging device 102A is in communication with the PIM 104.The controller 226 can obtain the parameter configuration 230Aassociated with the intraluminal imaging device 102A and dynamicallyconfigure the trigger signal generation component 220 to generate atrigger signal 228 including a waveform specific to ultrasoundattributes of the imaging component 110A.

Alternatively, when the intraluminal imaging device 102B is connected tothe PIM 104, the controller 226 can automatically identify that theintraluminal imaging device 102B is in communication with the PIM 104.The controller 226 can obtain the parameter configuration 230Bassociated with the intraluminal imaging device 102B and dynamicallyconfigure the trigger signal generation component 220 to generate atrigger signal 228 including a waveform specific to ultrasoundattributes of the imaging component 110B.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ultrasound imagingconfiguration 300, according to aspects of the present disclosure. Theconfiguration 300 provides a more detailed view of the interactionsbetween the sequencer 224 and the trigger signal generation component220 for providing synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging. Theconfiguration 300 includes a multiplexer 320 coupled to the imagingcomponent 110, the sequencer 224, and the trigger signal generationcomponent 220. The imaging component 110 may correspond to an imagingcomponent 110C of the intraluminal imaging device 102C attached to thePIM 104 shown in FIG. 2 . The imaging component 110C may include anarray of ultrasound transducers 310.

The multiplexer 320 may include a plurality of transmit switchingcircuitries 322. Each transmit switching circuitry 322 may be coupled toone of the transducers 310. Each transmit switching circuitry 322 mayinclude a driver that can activate ultrasound wave emissions attransducers 310 and a switch that can gate or allow an electrical signal(e.g., a trigger signal 228) to pass through to a correspondingtransducer 310.

As described above, the sequencer 224 controls the timing and thesequence of activations at the transducers 310 (e.g., for emittingultrasound waves) and the trigger signal generation component 220generates trigger signals to activate the transducers 310 based onwaveform parameters provided by the controller 226. The transmitswitching circuitries 322 in the multiplexer 320 may receive triggersignals 228 from the trigger signal generation component 220 and sendthe trigger signals 228 through to the transducers 310 according to thetiming and sequence provided by the sequencer 224. For example, thesequencer 224 may provide a timing sequence 330 indicating a sequence(e.g., including an order and timing) for firing a set of transducers310.

In some embodiments, the transducers 310 may be grouped into apertures304, including apertures 304 a and 304 b. In some embodiments, eachtransducer 310 may be part of one or more apertures 304. Each aperture304 may include any suitable number of transducers 310. The sequencer224 may activate one or more transducers 310 in an aperture 304 to emitultrasound waves 302. The ultrasound waves 302 may be emitted towards atarget anatomical structure 305 (e.g., a blood vessel). While not shownin FIG. 3 , the configuration 300 may further include receive switchingcircuitries coupled to the transducer so that the sequencer 224 may alsoactivate one or more transducers 310 in the aperture 304 to receive echosignals 303 reflected back from the structure 305. The received echosignals 303 may create an A-line in an image representing the structure305.

While the multiplexer 320 is illustrated with a separate transmitswitching circuitry 322 for each transducer 310, the transmit switchingcircuitries 322 can be configured in any suitable configuration, forexample, some transducers 310 may be coupled to the same transmitswitching circuitry 322. In addition, in some embodiments, the sequencer224 may be coupled to the trigger signal generation component 220. Thesequencer 224 can coordinate with the trigger signal generationcomponent 220 to control the triggering of transmit pulses at theimaging component 110.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration 400for the intraluminal ultrasound imaging system 100, according to aspectsof the present disclosure. The system configuration 400 may besubstantially similar to the system configuration 200. For example, thePIM 104 can detect an attachment of an intraluminal imaging device 102C,identify device information 212 of the attached intraluminal imagingdevice 102C, and generate trigger signals 228 for the intraluminalimaging device 102 based on the identified device information 212.However, in the system configuration 400, the PIM 104 may include amemory 410 coupled to the controller 226. The memory 410 may be anon-volatile memory, such as an EEPROM, configured to store multipleparameter configurations 430. The parameter configurations 430 may bedevice-specific and may be substantially similar to the parameterconfigurations 230. For example, the parameter configurations 430A,430B, and 430C may be used for configuring the intraluminal imagingdevices 102A, 102B, and 102C, respectively. Thus, upon identifying thedevice information 212 of the attached intraluminal imaging device 102C,the controller 226 may select a configuration from the parameterconfigurations 430 stored in the memory 410 based on the identifieddevice information 212 instead of requesting from a host 106 as in thesystem configuration 200.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system configuration 500for the intraluminal ultrasound imaging system 100, according to aspectsof the present disclosure. The system configuration 500 may besubstantially similar to the system configuration 200. For example, thePIM 104 can detect an attachment of an intraluminal imaging device 102,identify device information 212 of the attached intraluminal imagingdevice 102, and generate trigger signals 228 for the intraluminalimaging device 102 based on the identified device information 212.However, in the system configuration 500, the host 106 can receive userinputs 510 during a clinical imaging clinical procedure while theintraluminal imaging device 102 is in use and the PIM 104 candynamically reconfigure the waveform of the ultrasound wave emissions atthe imaging component 110 based on the user inputs 510 in real-time.

For example, a clinician performing a clinical procedure may decide toadjust or modify ultrasound imaging parameters, such as the ultrasoundcenter frequency, the pulse duration, the duty cycle, the polarity ofthe pulses, the signal energy level, and/or the number of cycles. Theclinician may input the desired adjustment or modification as a userinput 510 to the host 106, for example, via a graphical user interface(GUI) on a console, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, or the like.The host 106 may send the user input 510 to the PIM 104 via the link208. The controller 226 may receive the user input 510 and reconfigurethe trigger signal generation component 220 based on the user input 510.In some instances, the user input 510 may include a waveform parameterfor controlling ultrasound wave emissions at the imaging component 110.In other instances, the controller 226 may determine a waveformparameter for controlling ultrasound wave emissions at the imagingcomponent 110 based on the user input 510.

As an example, at the beginning of the procedure (e.g., at time T1), thecontroller 226 configures the trigger signal generation component 220 togenerate a trigger signal 228 based on a parameter configuration 230received from the host 106. Subsequently, at time T2, the user enters auser input 510 to modify a waveform parameter. In response, thecontroller 226 reconfigures the trigger signal generation component 220to generate an updated trigger signal 528 based on the modifiedparameter received from the user input 510. At time T3, the updatedtrigger signal 528 (shown as dotted box) is applied to the imagingcomponent 110. The updated trigger signal can be applied based on atiming provided by the sequencer 224, for example, for a subsequentactivation.

As can be seen, the system configuration 500 allows a user to modify animaging configuration or transmit ultrasound pulses without changing anyhardware and/or system components (e.g., the PIM 104) or rebooting thesystem 100.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an FPGA 600 implementationfor generation and control of variable ultrasound transmit pulses,according to aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the FPGA600 can be located within the PIM 104. FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating atrigger signal 700 for controlling ultrasound wave emissions, accordingto aspects of the present disclosure. In FIG. 7 , the x-axis representstime in some constant units and the y-axis represents signal voltagelevels in some constant units.

The FPGA 600 may include a plurality of configurable logic blocksconnected by programmable interconnects. As shown, the FPGA 600 isconfigured to implement a sequencer 610, a processing component 620, aplurality of registers 630, a plurality of counters 640, and a finitestate machine (FSM) 650.

The sequencer 610 may be substantially similar to the sequencer 224. Thesequencer 610 is configured to provide a timing sequence for firing ortriggering any array of transducer elements (e.g., the transducers 310)in an imaging component 110, for example, for synthetic apertureultrasound imaging as described above in the ultrasound imagingconfiguration 300 with respect to FIG. 3 .

The processing component 620 may be a programmable controller, such as amicrocontroller. A software or firmware may be executed on theprocessing component 620 to provide similar ultrasound transmit pulsecontrols as the controller 226. For example, the processing component620 can obtain a parameter configuration (e.g., the parameterconfigurations 230 and 430) from a host (e.g., the host 106) or selectedfrom configurations stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 410) includedin the FPGA 600. The configuration can include parameters that controlthe waveform shape of an ultrasound wave emission.

The registers 630 may be accessible (e.g., for reading and writing) bythe processing component 620. For example, the processing component canload parameter values into the registers 630. Each counter 640 mayperform a counting function, which may count-up or countdown, based on acorresponding register 630. The FSM 650 may access the counters 640 andthe registers 630. The FSM 650 may generate a trigger signal or asequence of pulses at an output line 660 based on values in theregisters 630 and may use the counters 640 for state transitions, asdescribed in greater detail herein.

In some embodiments, while not shown, the FSM 650 may be coupled to eachcounter 640 via multiple signal lines, for example, a load line, adecrement line, and a value line. The FSM 650 may load a value into acounter 640 via a corresponding load line. The FSM 650 can trigger adecrement of the value in a counter 640 via a corresponding decrementline. The FSM 650 may read or retrieve the value from counter 640 viathe value line.

As an example, the FPGA 600 is configured to generate the trigger signal700 (e.g., the trigger signals 228 and 528). FIG. 7 illustrates twotrigger pulses 702 each with two signal zones 710 and 720 for purposesof simplicity of discussion, though it will be recognized thatembodiments of the present disclosure may scale to include any suitablenumber of pulses 702 (e.g., 5, 10, 12, or 20) in the trigger signal 700.The duration 712 and the level 714 of the zone 710, the duration 722 andthe level 724 of the zone 720, and the number of cycles or pulses 702are configurable or programmable and may be varied to provide differentultrasound wave emission with different waveform shapes. Theconfiguration may include values for the durations 712 and 722, thelevels 714 and 724, and the number of cycles or pulses 702. For example,the center frequency of an ultrasound wave may be varied by varying thedurations 712 and 722. The signal energy level of an ultrasound wave maybe varied by varying the levels 714 and 724.

For example, the processing component 620 can load values of theduration 712 and the level 714 of the zone 710 into a duration register630A and a level register 630D, respectively. The processing component620 can load values of the duration 722 and the level 724 of the zone720 into a duration register 630B and a level register 630E,respectively. The processing component 620 can load a cycle register630C with the number of cycles or pulses 702. In some instances, theprocessing component 620 can load a default level value into a levelregister 630F.

The bit-widths of the duration registers 630 may vary depending on theembodiments. In some embodiments, the duration registers 630A and 630Beach may have a bit-width of about 12 bits to hold a duration valuebetween about 0 to about 4095. The cycle register 630C may have abit-width of about 4 bits to hold a cycle number value between about 0and 15. The level registers 630D, 630E, and 630F each may have abit-width of about 1 bit to hold an assertion level value of 0 (e.g., alow level) or 1 (e.g., a high level).

The FSM 650 may generate the trigger signal 700 based on the values inthe registers 630 and the counters 640. As an example, the FSM 650 mayload the value in the cycle register 630C into the counter 640C (e.g.,via a corresponding load line) and the value in duration register 630Ainto the counter 640A. The FSM 650 may generate the zone 710 by holdingthe trigger signal 700 at a signal level (e.g., the signal level 714)based on the value in the level register 630D. The counter 640A maycount down.

When the counter 640A counts to 0, the FSM 650 may transition togenerate the zone 720. The FSM 650 may load the counter 640B with thevalue in duration register 630B. The FSM 650 may transition the signalto a next signal level (e.g., the signal level 724) based on the valuein the level register 630E. Similar to the counter 640A, the counter640B may count down.

When the counter 640B counts to 0, the FSM 650 may decrement the counter640C (e.g., via a corresponding decrement line). When the value in thecounter 640C is greater than 0, the FSM 650 may repeat the generation ofthe zones 710 and 720 as described above to produce a next pulse 702.For example, the FSM 650 may read the value in the counter 640C (e.g.,via a corresponding value line) to determine whether the value isgreater than 0 after the decrement.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method 800 of generating and controllingultrasound transmit pulses, according to aspects of the disclosure.Steps of the method 800 can be executed by the system 100. The method800 may employ similar mechanisms as in the system configurations 200,400, and 500, the ultrasound imaging configuration 300, and the FPGA 600implementation as described with respect to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 3, and 6 ,respectively. As illustrated, the method 800 includes a number ofenumerated steps, but embodiments of the method 800 may includeadditional steps before, after, and in between the enumerated steps. Insome embodiments, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted orperformed in a different order.

At step 810, the method 800 includes detecting, by a PIM (e.g., the PIM104), information (e.g., the device information 212) associated with anintraluminal imaging device (e.g., the intraluminal imaging devices 102)including an ultrasound imaging component (e.g., the ultrasound imagingcomponent 110). The intraluminal imaging device may be plugged into aconnector (e.g., the device interface 202) of the PIM and incommunication with the PIM. The information may identify ultrasoundattributes (e.g., operational parameters for ultrasound emissions)and/or device attributes (e.g., device types, device models, serialnumber, device configuration parameters) associated with theintraluminal imaging device.

At step 820, the method 800 includes determining, by a processingcomponent (e.g., the processing component 620) a waveform characteristicfor ultrasound wave emissions (e.g., the ultrasound waves 302) at theultrasound imaging component based on the detected information (e.g.,the identified ultrasound attributes and/or device attributes).

At step 830, the method 800 includes generating, by a trigger signalgeneration component (e.g., the trigger signal generation component 220and the FSM 650) of the PIM, a trigger signal (e.g., the trigger signals228 and 700) based on the determined waveform characteristic to controlthe ultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging component.

At step 840, the method 800 includes applying, by the trigger signalgeneration component, the trigger signal to the ultrasound imagingcomponent.

In some embodiments, the determining of the waveform characteristicincludes determining at least one of a number of waveform pulses for thetrigger signal, a periodicity of the waveform pulses, a duty cycle ofthe waveform pulses, a polarity of the waveform pulses, or an amplitudeof the waveform pulses based on the detected information.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include configuring, bya sequencing component (e.g., the sequencer 224) of the PIM, one or moretiming sequences (e.g., the sequence 330) for one or more of transducerelements (e.g., the transducers 310) in a transducer array of theultrasound imaging component to produce the ultrasound wave emissions atthe ultrasound imaging component.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include detecting, by adetection component (e.g., the detection component 222) of the PIM, anattachment of the intraluminal imaging device to the PIM. The detectionmay include reading the device information from the intraluminal imagingdevice (e.g., stored in a memory 210) upon the detection.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include requesting aconfiguration (e.g., the parameter configurations 230) for theintraluminal imaging device from a host system (e.g., the host 106)based on the detected information and receiving the configuration fromthe host system in response to the request. The waveform characteristicmay be determined based on the received configuration.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include storing, at amemory (e.g., the memory 410) of the PIM, a plurality of configurations(e.g., the parameter configurations 430) associated with a plurality ofdifferent ultrasound imaging components comprising a plurality ofdifferent ultrasound attributes. The method 800 may select aconfiguration from the plurality of configurations based on the detectedinformation. The waveform characteristic may be determined based on theselected configuration. In some other embodiments, the method 800 mayemploy a configuration received from the host and/or a configurationselected from among multiple configurations stored in the PIM todetermine the waveform characteristic.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may further include receiving arequest to modify a parameter (e.g., via the user inputs 510) associatedwith the waveform characteristic of the ultrasound wave emissions whilethe ultrasound imaging component is performing an imaging procedure. Themethod 800 may determine an updated waveform characteristic for theultrasound wave emissions at the ultrasound imaging component based onthe modified parameter. The method 800 may generate an updated triggersignal (e.g., the trigger signals 528 and 700) based on the updatedwaveform characteristic. The method 800 may apply the updated triggersignal to the ultrasound imaging component during the imaging procedure.In some instances, images capture by the ultrasound imaging componentwith the updated trigger signal can be displayed on a monitor or console(e.g., the display 108).

Aspects of the present disclosure can provide several benefits. Forexample, the automatic detection and identification of an intraluminalultrasound imaging device upon attachment to the PIM 104 can allow thePIM 104 to generate suitable ultrasound transmit pulses for the attacheddevice 102 without having to change any system hardware or restart thesystem. The real-time reconfiguration of the ultrasound transmit pulsescan allow a user to quickly modify any ultrasound waveform parameters togenerate a desired imaging views or imaging modes during a live imagingprocedure without having to stop, configure, and/or restart theprocedure. The extraction of the key ultrasound waveform parameters,such as ultrasound operating center frequency (e.g., via the durations712 and 722) and pulse energy (e.g., via the levels 714) intoprogrammable parameters can provide flexibility in waveform generations.The hardware implementation of the state machine (e.g., the FSM 650) forcontrolling and generating the trigger signals can provide accurate andprecise response time.

Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the apparatus, systems,and methods described above can be modified in various ways.Accordingly, persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatthe embodiments encompassed by the present disclosure are not limited tothe particular exemplary embodiments described above. In that regard,although illustrative embodiments have been shown and described, a widerange of modification, change, and substitution is contemplated in theforegoing disclosure. It is understood that such variations may be madeto the foregoing without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An intraluminal ultrasound imaging system,comprising: a first intraluminal imaging device comprising a firstultrasound imaging component; a patient interface module (PIM)configured for communication with the first intraluminal imaging deviceand a different, second intraluminal imaging device comprising a secondultrasound imaging component; and a host system configured forcommunication with the PIM, wherein the host system comprises a memoryconfigured to store a first parameter configuration for the firstultrasound imaging component and a different, second parameterconfiguration for the second ultrasound imaging component, wherein, whenthe PIM is in communication with the first intraluminal imaging device,the PIM is configured to: request the first parameter configuration fromthe host system; receive, in response to the request, the firstparameter configuration from the host system; and control, using thefirst parameter configuration, the first ultrasound imaging component toproduce first ultrasound wave emissions; wherein, when PIM is incommunication with the second intraluminal imaging device, the PIM isconfigured to: request the second parameter configuration from the hostsystem; receive, in response to the request, the second parameterconfiguration from the host system; and control, using the secondparameter configuration, the second ultrasound imaging component toproduce different, second ultrasound wave emissions.
 2. The system ofthe claim 1, wherein the host system is configured to: generate a firstultrasound image associated with the first ultrasound wave emissions;and generate a second ultrasound image associated with the secondultrasound wave emissions.
 3. The system of claim 2, further comprisinga display configured for communication with the host system, wherein thedisplay is configured to: display the first ultrasound image; anddisplay the second ultrasound image.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe first intraluminal imaging device comprises a first intravascularultrasound (IVUS) catheter, and wherein the second intraluminal imagingdevice comprises a second IVUS catheter.
 5. The system of claim 4,wherein the first IVUS catheter comprises an array IVUS catheter; andwherein the second IVUS catheter comprises a rotational IVUS catheter.6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first ultrasound imaging componentcomprises an array of transducer elements, and wherein the secondultrasound imaging component comprises a single transducer element. 7.The system of claim 4, wherein the first IVUS catheter is configured forimaging a coronary vessel, and wherein the second IVUS catheter isconfigured for imaging a peripheral vessel.
 8. The system of claim 1,further comprising the second intraluminal imaging device.
 9. The systemof claim 1, wherein, to control the first ultrasound imaging componentto produce first ultrasound wave emissions, the PIM is configured togenerate a first trigger signal based on the first parameterconfiguration, wherein, to control the second ultrasound imagingcomponent to produce second ultrasound wave emissions, the PIM isconfigured to generate a different, second trigger signal based on thesecond parameter configuration.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein thefirst ultrasound wave emissions comprise a first waveform, and whereinthe second ultrasound wave emissions comprise a different, secondwaveform.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the PIM is configured todetermine whether to request the first parameter configuration or thesecond parameter configuration from the host system.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the first intraluminal imaging device comprises afirst device memory storing first device information, wherein the secondintraluminal imaging device comprises a second device memory storingsecond device information, wherein the PIM is configured to determineto: request the first parameter configuration from the host system basedon the first device information, and request the second parameterconfiguration from the host system based on the second deviceinformation.